


Red Nights

by BrokenTourniquet



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, F/F, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, not really i suck, the hard stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 18:08:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4402025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenTourniquet/pseuds/BrokenTourniquet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demons. Something you were told were real and people say they believed in but never thought they were actually real. No one actually believed they'd walk the earth and tear people apart. No one thought they'd possess you. Korra has to learn to keep herself and her own safe at any cost. That means decisions that she wouldn't normally wouldn't make. She's had a demon crawling under her skin she knows what it's like. Maybe something else crawls under her skin. Few people will accept her. She's afraid who won't. </p><p>She can feel something begging for flesh to rip. It doesn't come from her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Nights

**Author's Note:**

> This sucks. I suck. I gave in. I started writing it. Enjoy.
> 
> inspired by this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTugHhl09Kg  
> Don't look at me it's one of the few songs of theirs I like. 
> 
> YAY for demonic apocalypse AU!

_It's a red night, and I don't see any light_

  
  
"It's called a fucking flatline for a reason!" Is what she heard.

Slender familiar fingers wrap around her arms as she convulses with angry groans of pain. She can hear a "Hold her down! Maybe it'll pass!" and she knows who it is. She can't control her body at that point. She's aware, but no in control as she shakes more violently, groans turn into growls, and she can feel hands tighten. She wants to regret what she did earlier completely and maybe she does but if it wasn't her it'd have been Opal. She couldn't let Opal go through this. Couldn't let the younger girl be aware her body hungered for violence, for the deaths of her friends holding her down.

She keeps her eyes clenched tight to refrain from giving false hope. She know's who's there, but she also knows if she dares to look it'll make her want to fight harder, it'll make her want to control it, and that's where the false hope lay. She knows even if she did control it one day her guard would be let down and it would surface. It'd show its ugly face and pull her to pieces after it tore her loved ones at the seams.

Her veins pulse and it can me physically seen as they blacken, her skin pales and turns to a rotten mix of green and brown orange. She can feel her bones break and heal only to rebreak over and over again like they can't decide the form they'd want her to take. Her muscles contract over and over painfully. She wished she could say she's felt worse, but she can't. the worst part is her mind, it fills with things of the past and present. Of things she doesn't want to know but does now, of so much blood, mayhem, war, and it's converting her mind into insanity.

Her mind is slipping into darkness telling her to let it happen because the pain is there. She's feeling bullet wounds, whips lash her skin, knives pierce her skin, fire burn her, and the thousands of death of people treated cruelly until their end was all they had to look forward to. Darkness. That was the only thing coming to her mind. She could hear their voices in her ears shout at her begging her to let it so they could stop hurting too. It was like they were attached to her now, that the poisoned blood now taking over her veins were that of a thousand men, women, and children that had died when they shouldn't have. Like they were all angry at her for being there. It makes her want to claw her veins out and hold her hands over her ears.

She feels tears build up behind her eyes and it hurts her more like acid. Her eyes sting only causing the tears to pour out burning into her skin as they dry away surely leaving behind scars. She can't take it. She wants to let go. She wants to let the poison take over her, but she knows she can't.

She makes a mistake and opens her eyes. The white light hurts her, burns her skin. Her vision adjusts and her vision starts to turn black and white instead of color so the orange ceiling grays. She looks to her side and finds him. A familiar spiky haired guy. Her heart thumps in her chest at the sight of him. He's her friend, one of her best friends. She looks at him with a pleading look and the wish he had brought his gun to put one in between her eyes if she lets go which she's afraid she might. She cries harder unable to form coherent words.

She looks to her other side at the other hands holding her down with all their might. Her gaze freezes as she cries and her body still shakes fighting against them. Familiar green orbs of jade are staring at her and it makes her heart speed up more than it should. The green orbs belong to Asami. The only person in the world who had so many reasons to hate her but was always the first one to defend her and help her at a moments notice. The only person in the world to encourage to slow down her when everyone else would call her irrational. Asami Sato. She wanted to tell her something important. Wanted to blurt the words out of her mouth but all that came out was an ancient language that should have been forgotten. Asami was pleading with her- no not her whatever was inside her to stop and crawl out. How did she know that? She didn't. The demon did.

"Kor-" Mako never finished as Korra gave an inhuman scream yanking her arms away throwing Asami against the wall and pushing Mako back.

The demon won. Her mind had been to preoccupied with Asami to fight the damned thing off. She stood clutching her head as the screams turned into whispers aggravating her more. Her skin cracked as her nails sharpened impossibly sharp and her hands turned to what seemed like a stone, that transformation faded up to her elbow. She shook her head trying to shake the whispers. She wanted to rip something apart. To appease the whispers. She spotted Mak again as she stood up from the medical table and the whispers told her to do it. She didn't want to, tried to stop herself, but her body wasn't hers anymore.

She charged at him giving him only a second to react. He yelped as he barely caught her arms before they could dig into his skin. She pushed forward snapping her jaw at him as if she was desperate to tear something out of him. He was terrified and the demon in her could tell that. It enjoyed that. It wanted to taste the terror, drink it from his veins, and devour it off his flesh. It wanted to rip straight through the cop in front of her and devour him whole. Korra sickened at the thoughts. She wanted to vomit.

Mako shoved her off pleading with her though he knew she couldn't help it. It raced at him again, he barely ducked from the fist in time. Her fist tore a hole in the wall. She was screaming for the whispers to stop and for her body to be hers once again. It removed her fist and grabbed him by the throat. It held Mako up squeezing the life out of him as his hands clutched her arm begging her to let go, it smiled at him. He was more than terrified. It held him high against the wall pushing him into it making the area around him crack. She was going to kill him and she couldn't even stop herself..

"Drop him." Commanded a voice behind them. Korra's head turned to find Asami finally pulling herself up staring at her with something in her eyes the demon hadn't seen much. "Drop him. Kill me." She ordered.

 _No Asami!_ She yelled at her friend though she'd never hear it. The whispers came back and grew in numbers telling it her secrets, and it hurt. Asami pressed her back against the wall almost sure she'd come after her instead. The demon smiled to itself as if it had found her biggest secret and dropped Mako who held his throat coughing looking like he might pass out himself if he didn't get the air he needed immediately. The demon turned to Asami who closed her eyes and looked right past the demon to her. It sent shivers down their back. Asami was ready to die. She may not be at peace completely but she was ready. If it'd save anyone.

The demon rushed forward and Korra watched it like it was slow motion. Her legs picking up, the eagerness of the demon ready to rip Asami's heart out and use it as a bowling ball. It revealed in the face Korra felt for her, that she was going to watch Asami die in front of her, like it fed off of the pain and anguish it was already causing her. The need to control her body and the need to control herself tripled when Asami started to open her arms like she'd embrace Korra like she always did.

A white flash blinded her and she felt herself stop. When her vision came back she felt the demon quiver. It had been weakened by the light. She blinked to herself able to actually blink by command. Her fists had pounded into the wall beside Asami's head making dents. She had stopped herself by thought from crushing her. Their bodies were pressed together with very little space between them, their cheeks practically touching.

The demon regained itself and tried to force her to move. To finish the job. She refused. She didn't know why or how but she knew very well that she couldn't move or it would win. It would win and she'd kill Asami. It wouldn't be her choice, but Asami's death would happen by her hands. She could see the images of the blood and flesh scewed across the room. It turned her to steel. She wasn't going to-

Asami's arms wrapped around her pulling her as close as possible. Korra could feel tears from before form and spill from her eyes. She ignored the pain they caused.

"Korra," Asami whispered to her. She could hear Asami over the whispers causing her pain. "I've got you."

With those three words Korra felt herself relax slightly, and wrap her own arms around Asami's neck as Asami straightened herself. Korra's arms tightened around her neck. Now she was afraid to let go of the older woman, as quickly as Asami had wrapped Korra in her arms she became a quick cemented anchor for Korra. Korra could focus on her and the whispers seemed to subside. As long as Korra could focus on her she felt she could remain herself.

Asami turned her head pressing her lips into Korra's cheek. She didn't kiss her just rested them on her skin and told her "Breathe." On command Korra did. She took in a deep breath unaware of how long she held her breath previously. She was afraid. Afraid everytime her chest moved that it would give the demon a chance to take her body over again. She wanted to ask Asami to stop the whispers and the demon to stop her. She knew Asami couldn't so she remained quiet, unsure if she could actually talk or not yet. "You're alive." It sounded more like a realization than anything but Korra took comfort in it.

Korra moved her head back to look into Asami's eyes to make sure she was fine. Instead of asking she just stared at the eyes that looked at her with concern and something that might have scared her but gave her some form of hope. Asami opened her mouth to say something, something important. That's when Korra's body froze up in intense burning pain, she accidentally slammed them both against the wall. Korra felt the sudden rush of new found agony pulse through her and she stumbled back from Asami who was catching her breath and looking at her with concern yet again.

Korra's stomach pulsed in pain and she had to hold it afraid if she didn't her innards were going to explode from the area. She turned around clutching the medical table and squeezing so tight her knuckles tightened and left dents in it. She looked at her knuckles again realizing they were fighting to return to normal, her whole body was. Her veins turned to something of a light blue and she felt it. The bile rising in her throat. She couldn't help it so she let it go.

her vomit was a mixture of red that she was sure was blood and a dark brown that didn't mix with the red. She had to vomit a couple of times to get it all out of her system. When she did she stumbled back feeling so incredibly weak. Asami caught her holding her up in her arms and close. The dark brown took on a life of it's own turning the read into something darker as it formed into a symbol, something she couldn't see very well. Within seconds it caught on fire and they could all hear howls and groans of things that shouldn't be real. It was a portal. She had just- A demented, black scaled, red scarred grotesque hand came out of the portal and tried to pull itself out. It was the demon that was in Korra previously, it was decaying and screaming for her death. She could understand it.

The last thing she remembered was someone bursting in through the door pouring something over it yelling some words she could tell was a chant and a bright flash knocking her out. She couldn't remember anymore than that besides glimpses of lights, walls, people, and death. She had been carried. She can remember arms picking her up and Asami telling them to be careful. There was nothing after that.

She didn't dream either. Well she couldn't remember any of her dreams if she did dream. It just seemed to be black for hours. It was pure black too, nothing in the world could have been that dark. It was impossibly dark.

When she did wake up her body felt cold and ached from the pain she previously felt. She blinked to herself a few times and groaned as she tried to sit up and sit up. She was held down by restraints and an I.V. that sunk into her arm. She immeadiately panicked afraid someone had stolen her, using her as an experiment.

"Whoa!" her head snapped to the direction of the voice. She froze at the sight. It was NoNa (something the others nicked name her for never telling them her name. They called her No Name or NoNa for short.) her skin about as dark as Korra's. Her hair recently dyed blue. it was odd seeing her in a shirt with no sleeves, because you could see the tattoo's on her arm. She was so used to just seeing the fangs at the corner of her mouth in dark blue. She focused on them forgetting about the restraints. "Chill okay?" NoNa asked. Korra sank back into the bed and nodded.

 _"Alright."_  she tried to say. It came out in the language from before. NoNa stopped looking at the clipboard in her hand and looked at Korra with a confused expression. Korra was distraught. She couldn't speak English.

"Say something longer please." NoNa asked. Korra felt herself become irritated.

 _"I don't fucking understand what's going on."_  She sneered in the foreign language. NoNa blinked in realization at her and opened and closed her mouth as if what she wanted to say wasn't coming out of her mouth.

She was beyond irritated and moving her wrists against the restraints. She wanted them off and for NoNa to spill whatever the fuck the was happening to her because in reality she wasn't in the mood to play guessing games or listen to her play 50 questions. She'd kill her before- Korra blinked at the thought. She panicked. She had just thought something incredibly violent that was out of character for her. Did the demon really leave her body? Was something left in its wake? She felt herself panick.

"Do you realize what language you're speaking?" Korra shook her head. NoNa's eyes snapped to her wrists and undid them before sitting in the chair next to the bed and watching Korra. "Korra-" Korra sat up and looked at her afraid she'd restrain her again. "Were you- were you possessed?"  _Infected_  seemed more like the proper answer. She shrugged. "Those guys that held you and Opal down-" She gave NoNa a look. "She's fine. She came to find me after you ordered her to." Korra sighed in relief. "Did they force you to drink something?" Korra froze again.

She and Opal had been roommates for awhile. They had been binge watching TV shows on their only day off waiting for someone to inevitably call in and force them to get dressed and work overtime. That's when the news report came on, images of everything gone to shit, everything in decay, and a gang of men- changed like she had been earlier but so much you could barely tell they were human before. They charged them and held them down.

Opal was held against the table as one of the demons forced her to open her mouth another pulled out a black vial with red markings on it. Whatever it was was not good. Korra knew that and took charge, she started fighting back hard enough for them to change their target from Opal to her. Opal was thrown aside as Korra had a dark brown substanced forced down her throat. It burned like freezing skin going down. They disappeared soon after. Korra told Opal to find NoNa and the others as she went after the men to demand what they had just done. She didn't get far before the demon started to tear her inside it felt like. She saved Asami just as Mako had joined them. Then she "died" and was rushed to the hospital. After that..?

Korra nodded. "No one's said a thing since you got here." NoNa told her. "Mako was hurt. Did your body do that?" Korra gave her a look. It was far too suspicious that she knew it hadn't been Korra that had been in control. She nodded. "Whispers hurt more than the screams." She muttered under her breath.

 _"Alright what the fuck is going on?"_ She demanded. NoNa crossed her legs and sighed.

"I don't know what's going on Korra." She replied.

_"Y-you can understand me?"_

_"I can. I can even speak it."_  NoNa told her as she threw her pen onto the small table next to the bed. She realized she wasn't in a hospital anymore. She was an apartment complex or something like that. This was a bedroom but felt far too big though it was small. Korra couldn't speak. "You won't be able to speak for awhile, not English anyways. I'd refrain from speaking this to the others till you can speak...normally. It'll sound like...white noise to them." Korra didn't say anything. "Korra do you know what you're speaking?" Korra shook her head. "Nephilim." Was her reply. Korra didn't udnerstand. The name sounded familiar but she didn't know it.

"H-"

"Korra!" Came a familiar cry.

"Careful Bolin. She can't speak for awhile." Before she knew it arms were wrapped around her squeezing her tight and NoNa left before Korra could ask her anymore questions. Korra wanted to be frustrated but as soon as the big eyes looked at her she couldn't do it. "We were so worried about you!" He exclaimed. "Nearly everyone is downstairs waiting to hear about you. I was on my way up to see if you were awake." He told her as he let go and plopped happily into the chair next to her. "Everyone especially Asami has been asking for you. Asami asks for updates every hour basically." He sighed.

Korra only nodded in response. She had to refrain from actually speaking. She needed to ask NoNa everything later.

"DUDE!" She jumped. "Did you know NoNa's name is Kayto?" She rose an eyebrow and Bolin nodded. "I know! It surprised me too! It sounds like- well I'm not sure. Kayto said it was her grandfathers name. It's a tradition to have a child named Kayto every generation in her family? Must be an only child then." He sighed. Korra laid back aware that his ramblings were going to continue for awhile. It was almost a relief to hear. "I wonder if that's why Asami thinks of her like a sister you know? They met last year but they both don't have any parents. Imagine Asami with those tattoo's, that would be sick." She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh! Mako couldn't speak for like five hours." Korra felt guilty- wait five hours? She gave him a look and he waved her worry away. "You've been asleep for a few days." He told her. Korra blinked at him. "Mako's been worried too. He's helping TenZin fortify the place."

She nodded.

Bolin continued to talk and Korra zoned out. She was having trouble keeping up. But she let him talk, it calmed him and she could sense how tense he was. How scared he was. She didn't question it. She relaxed easily into the bed.

After awhile NoNa came by ignoring her questions to check up on her, run Bolin off, and let her know Asami was cooking and would bring her something to eat. She wasn't allowed to get up for a few days. She was still considerably weak. She's ask her more tomorrow. She needed answers.


End file.
